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However, Victorian County Court Judge Felicity Hampel said there was "a greater risk that he would be a more hardened offender" if he stayed in an adult prison.

The unruly youth had shown some reflection while "drying out" in custody, Judge Hampel said.

In the 14 months leading up to his offending he was a young man "clearly out of control" as the result of a combination of immaturity, poor impulse control, peer pressure and substance abuse, including ice, she said.

Since his arrest "the pernicious effects of ice seems to have dissipated".

He had pleaded guilty to nine charges arising from the April 10 crime spree when, in the space of an hour and a half, he and a carload of co-offenders robbed, threatened and assaulted people.

The court heard Biel has an IQ of 70.

In sentencing him, Judge Hampel said there was no evidence Biel was a member of the Apex Gang.